One Who Truly Listens
by NotMarge
Summary: Jo is having a bad day, everything she's pushed down coming to a boil. She just needs one person, just one person, to take the time to listen to her. Light spoilers for season 11.


I do not own Grey's Anatomy.

Or a medical license. *relief*

One Who Truly Listens

* * *

". . . like _I'm_ the crazy one!"

Jo Wilson lay on her back on the rumpled bed she and Alex shared, bare feet erratically drumming out a staccato beat on the wall above the headboard.

"I mean, honestly, just how much is one person expected to _take_?"

She was in a white tshirt and boxer shorts, having just flung off her hospital scrubs and sneakers after a long and particularly taxing shift at Grey-Sloan Memorial.

"Do you _know_ what she _does_?"

She rolled over now onto her stomach, hands clutching the sides of her head in pent up frustration.

"She just shows up at all hours of the night, yeah, just shows up and crawls into bed, _into bed_, with us and starts griping about Derek!"

She sat up then, leaning back on her heels and blew a strand of loose hair out of her face, now tapping irritated rhythms out on her knees.

"I mean, Alex and I, we could be . . . you know . . . and she just barges in any way! One time, I was _naked_!"

Jo covered her face with her hands as a warm blush spread over her flawless complexion.

"I mean, would it kill her to _call_? But noooooo, she just shows up like she owns the place! Well, she _does_ own the place . . . but she doesn't even _live_ here . . . she's got a backwoods mansion up on a friggin' _mountain_! _We_ live here . . ."

She launched up off the bed and started pacing back and forth in the small, messy bedroom space.

"And she just acts like I don't even _exist_!"

Suddenly a door slammed and a voice called out, "Hello, is anybody home?"

Jo crossed her eyes and facepalmed herself in aggravation . . .

_Ugh . . . Arizona._

. . . and reflexively pressed her lips together, holding a finger to them for good measure.

_Not a word, not a single word, you hear me? _she silently threatened.

They remained still and silent until another door opened and shut as the new intruder, erm, uh, _houseguest_ retreated to her own room, uh, _attic_.

Then Jo continued her rant in more hushed tones.

"And that's another thing! _Her?_ She's a grown woman! She has a child! Or did, until she and her lesbian life partner broke up for the fortieth time and she needed a place to crash for 'a few days'."

Sarcasm dripped from her voice as she rolled her eyes with disgust.

"It's been months! And most of them were at the hospital for a while there while Dr. Badass was teaching her how to do surgery on fetuses . . ."

Which was really, _really_ awesome, she had to admit.

". . . but why is she still _here_?"

Jo found she was twisting her long, dark hair up around her hands until her skull ached and she relented.

"I can't even take a shower without her getting offended! I mean, she's _gay_, you'd think she wouldn't mind!"

She paced and she paced and she paced. It felt so good to let out everything she had bottled up inside. And she _hated_ crying, it made her feel so _weak_. Anger was much easier and less upsetting to deal with. Cleaner too.

"I mean, when Alex asked me to live with him, I thought 'oh great, he wants to spend his life with _me_'. I didn't know he would be inviting the rest of the hospital too!"

Oh, she knew what it was to be hungry and cold and alone. She remembered what it was like to feel like you had no family, no friends to turn to.

She remembered.

She just got so . . . _frustrated_ sometimes by everyone's casual dismissal of her.

It was a job. They were adults. She didn't need coddling or petting.

But sometimes she wouldn't mind being shown a little consideration. Common decency. Respect. _Personal_ _space_.

And since that wasn't going to happen _any_time soon and life wasn't going to slow down _any_time soon, she was making do the best way she could.

Once she got it all out, she could let it go. And smile at her unwanted roommate. And smile at her handsome, irritating boyfriend.

And smile at Meredith Grey. And Dr. Shepard. And everybody else who drove her sporadically crazy in her life.

Smile and be nice and get the job done.

But first she just needed to get . . . it . . . out.

She looked over at him. And felt so grateful, so very, very grateful.

He was still, for the most part, and listening, really _listening_ to her.

Nobody just stopped and listened to her.

Of course, she rarely ever did either.

But _he_ was doing it.

And she loved him so _much_ for it.

"Awww, you are just the sweetest thing _ever_, you know that?"

Her face burst into a big, sentimental grin and her dark eyes lit up in delight and appreciation.

"To stop and listen to me, really give me your time and attention."

She hunched over in front of the little clear container, gazing lovingly at the undulating black blob within. As she drew nearer, one end seemed to turn lazily toward her.

_Awwww, how sweet, he knows his mommy . . . oh no, wait, that's his butt . . . no, yeah, that's his head . . . well . . ._

She shook her head a little, running a light finger over the cool plastic, her bright white teeth comically magnified in the distorted, opaque surface.

_Oh, it doesn't matter, he's a good little boy, yes he is . . ._

"My sweet little Herbie."

* * *

**Did I getcha? Boy, I sure hope so 'cause it sure was fun to write! **

**And I'm not trying to portray Jo as being mental or anything, just needing an outlet, you know? I'm sure we can all relate. And if you can't, then bully for _you_, sweetie. ;)**

**Okay and just let it be known that every time that 'sweet little Herbie' The Leech showed up outta that woman's nose in that ep, I screeched like a little girl and tried to claw my way under the couch cushions and, dare I say, the couch itself. And I'm not squeamish at all but ewwwwwwwww!**

**And April, telling that horrible story to that poor, grossed out, terrified woman?! XD**

_**And**_** Jo cooing over that stupid, slithery thing and saying she was going to keep it as a pet?! *shudders* Is she _insane_?! What a fun ep! **

**So then I went to brush my teeth ('cause I sure as heck wasn't eating anything else after **_**that**_**) and this little nugget of I-don't-know-what popped into my head. **

**Well, anyway, hope you enjoyed!**

**Everybody appreciates feedback. Leave a review if you like.**


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